Cheriz: My life with Cystic Fibrosis

I was having a good day, it was one of my babysitting girl's bdays! We went for ice cream, I hung out with a friend and watched "Game of Thrones". I really liked it and I'm hoping to watch more this wknd. Then I logged onto Facebook to see that my best friend Laura (with CF) is down in lung function, on oxygen at night and her doctor is putting her on the Transplant list. I have lots of thoughts going through my head the MAIN one is "Please let her get a Tx soon, heal well and fast, and live her full life, they way she deserves to! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!" I can't imagine how she must feel, I know I'm sad knowing she is at point she needs one, but HAPPY she will get on the list! Happy, Sad, Scared, Excited. How do I feel..? The worst part is knowing that she is pain. I just want to take all that away, give her some good n plentys (one of our fave candy), kiss her on the forehead, tell her I love her, and that before she knows it she will have...

Storms/Rain    fun fact: When I was little I used to run around the house during storms singing "thunder, thunder, thunder CATS!" Front and Back veiw If I'm not going somewhere nice (where I have to look professional) I am okay with being outside and it starting to downpour. I acutally love storms! I'm usually the person standing outside taking pictures when a warning is being issued. My uncle is a storm chaser and I have ALWAYS wanted to go with, however he lives 40 mins away... So storms don't usually bother me and tonight I am thankful for the storm we are having tonight BECAUSE... while out on my nightly jog with my friend Sarah, we got caught in the rain, so we started jogging (we were 1 mile away from her house, literally half way...) Nothing shaves 10 mins off your jogging time like the rain and spotting lightning in the distance... HAHAHA! I now know that I can push myself a lot harder than I have been, we just proved it. 10 minutes faster, g...

5 Random Things about St. Francis Hospital In another CFer's Blog they were complaining about the hospital, so here are some positives about my Hospital Stays! 1. The Veiw: Whenever I was admitted to the hospital I asked for G115 for my room. It had a big window sill and was the best veiw on the floor; it over looked the main part of Peoria and was a great veiw of  The Hotel Pere Marquette! I thought it was gorgeous and I used to dream about what it looked like on the inside. If it was that beautiful at night all lit up...  2. Holidays, in the hospital:  My favorite  was Halloween! The Game Room Staff would throw a party, we would wear costumes, Cookie Bannon would sing for us, and we got to go door to door getting candy from adult patients! I remember one year there was this boy who was stuck in bed (due to having both legs busted, along with other complications. And the nurses put a gaint cardboard cut out of a race car on th...

Food, Food, Food, ever get sick of eating food? Okay, so that's the main reason I still have my G-Tube is that don't like eating constantly, feeling full all the time, and I'm not a fan of high cal. food. Born with CF, but don't care for fast food, sweets, or anything that potentially could help me gain weight. So I compromise: eat what I want, when I want, and do 1,400 cals over night while sleeping. However, as you know I'm trying to really, REALLY, get my lung function up. 1. Dr. Boas is challenging me and I don't step down to challenges 2. and of course, I want to be healthy! So weight affects lung function, so the easiest way to bring up my lung function is bring up my weight. So I figured I would let everyone see what I eat on day to day basis. (Note: Todays breakfast was bigger than usual, I usually will drink an ensure, eat a powerbar, cereal and reach 700 cals. Then eat more cals at lunch/dinner!) I Always try to eat 2,500 cals a day + 1,400 n...

The Circle of Dreams Every little kid has a dream, to go somewhere, meet someone, have something... I had the privilege of being granted a dream by the Central Illinois Dream Factory! I was 10 yrs old when they came to my house to ask me what I wanted.. She asked " Cheriz, what one thing do you want most in world?" I respond" a Mr. Potato Head Pillow!" She goes" Cheriz, anything bigger, something for the yard, go on a trip, meet anyone?" I go " You MEAN I CAN HAVE A COMPUTER? They have them at school and it is my favorite thing and I have been saving all my money for one (I ran down and brought out my "doggy" bank and showed her)" She goes " Sure and what games do you like?" I recevied a computer, desk, printer, ink, and about 30 games (Oregon Trail, Math Munchers, Juliard Music, etc) Now fast forward 16 yrs later. I attend the Annual Dream Factory Party in December quite often, the CIDF hosts it for all the dre...

Black Plague I had a long car drive home to think, so this is long, but heartfelt. Tonight I went to a meeting for a non-profit I help with and while discussing somebody's anger issues. I decided to share a part of my past with the board that was there. I still am in shock I did so, considering very, VERY, few people know this. But I'm not ashamed and feel like others have been in my place. Naturally, the next step, is to share it on a blog, where everyone has access to it. (heh.) When I was little around middle school age I had some anger issues. I used to get angry over nothing and scream and once in a while even push my mom ( luckily I was tiny and not very strong). She would just hug me and tell me she loved me, she never got angry back.  She knew I was angry because quite a few of my friends with Cystic Fibrosis were passing away, from Cepacia B and other infections that were spreading ( apparently at the parties, camps, and apts) around. About a yea...

National CF Awareness Month! May has been declared National Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month. I look at this month as an opportunity to share my story and spread awareness of CF. If you look at my facebook page... you can tell during the Month of May I stay a little focused on CF. Why? and Isn't it depressing? No. Yes, it is sad thinking back to memories with friends with Cf that have passed; however, that is EXACTLY why May is so important to spread the awareness of how CF affects us. I think of all the time I spend pushing CF awareness (esp. in the month of May) is for all of my friends who have passed away, its their memory that motivates us to make sure future generations with Cf have a better chance from the start!  Losing friends to CF, and not being able to see the ones that are alive ( due to bacteria spreading-its frowned against)is tough, the toughest aspect of CF. I would love to see my friend Laura, but we both know it is better to not be around each o...

Food and Dancing (what a busy day!) On every Saturday morning for the last year and a half I deliver mobile meals to people in the community. I really love doing it, the people I deliver to are amazing! Today, one of the older men I deliver to gave me a picture that he cut out of the paper. It was of my cousins (twins) holding their soccer team's trophy. Then I had play practice (its a hour drive there, and an hour back) so that takes up a chunk of the day, but since the play is Hairspray, I decided it is more than worth a couple hours in the car. It had been 5 years since I had been to our local Mexican Restaurant Los Ranchitos and I'm not sure why. However, I loved it! The food was great, the price was decent, service was good, and overall a fun time! It was really busy, good thing they added on a while back! I ate quite a bit today, but that is good, since the pharmacy hasn't sent me more stomach feeding bags. Tonight will be my third night without any feeding....

Internet, Exercise and Magnum PI I haven't been online much. However, I got the internet finally set up correctly at my apartment. I have been working a lot on my Real Estate work, I'm trying to finish everything and take my licensing exam in June. Other than working, and doing hmwk, I have belive it or not committed to the "work out everyday" rule so far. My friend and I started out walking, now we are jogging/walking 2- 2.5 miles each day. Eventually I want jogging to become a hobby or daily routine that I ACTUALLY enjoy. But...it's not that bad. The first day jogging was kind of tough, but it's true... the more you run the easier it becomes... I also have decided since my last Clinic went so well, I should really try to stay on top of doing all my treatments and see just how much lung function I can gain by July! During all (4 morning, 2 afternoon, and 3 Evening nebs)my treatments I normally read. Lately though I have been watching Magnum PI episodes....